"As Ulna did not come back and cannot be found, it is safe to infer that he succeeded in delivering his message to Mr. Willett's son."
"Yes," said the man who had drawn Shirley out, "I must say it looks very much that way."
"Very well; Mr. Willett's son, who is a wonderfully brave, bright young fellow, got that message, and from this fact I make another inference."
Shirley licked his lips and remained silent so long that it was becoming painful, and Badger voiced the feeling of the crowd by calling out:
"Go ahead and give us yer p'ints!"
"If Ulna could get to Gold Cave Camp in the night with that message, don't you think that young Sam Willett could get away?"
Nearly every one said this looked reasonable.
"Now, my belief," Shirley went on, "is that he and all hands did get away. The searchers, who have just come from the camp, say the place was cleaned out, rifles and all that being gone, which wouldn't be the case if the folks were drowned."
"But," said the man who had started this discussion, "if the young feller got away, why didn't he come right straight to Hurley's Gulch?"
"Ah, that's the vital question," said Shirley, with a more vigorous lick at his lips. "Now, you'd like to know why I think he didn't come here?"